World Radio Day 2025 Celebrated by Bangladesh Betar
By Bangladesh Betar
The 14th World Radio Day has been celebrated worldwide on 13 February, 2025. Like other radio platforms in the world, Bangladesh Betar (a state-owned radio organization with 14 regional stations and 6 units) has celebrated World Radio Day in a befitting manner. This year the theme for World Radio Day was “Radio and Climate Change.”
13 February was proclaimed as World Radio Day by UNESCO on 31 November 2011 to remember the significance of radio broadcasting in the lives of people. The Day is an opportunity to celebrate radio as a medium. Since the inception of radio broadcasting, programs and news related to Politics, Sports, Education, Entertainment and so on have been being broadcasted that help individuals to remain updated about their surroundings and the current updates. Thus, this day is a reminder for everyone about the radio and its importance. The 1st World Radio Day was celebrated in 2012.
In Bangladesh, Bangladesh Betar is a medium that has upheld its importance over time. It is a platform for providing information, educating people, allowing expression across cultures, and of course, playing one’s favorite music. It has also been playing a vital role in retaining the practice of our diverse and affluent culture generation after generation by providing on-air time to young singers, actors, and so on. Though media with advanced technology have appeared, it is still an irreplaceable medium, especially during man-made or natural disasters such as tropical storms, floods, epidemics, and pandemics (such as COVID-19).
In line with this year’s theme, Bangladesh Betar Rajshahi, a regional station of Bangladesh Betar, has celebrated the day with a variety of activities aimed at mentioning its role in addressing climate change and its impact. It undertook different activities to make the celebration festive. Stakeholders from different socio-economic and cultural groups of people like radio listeners, talkers, program presenters, singers, drama producers, actors and journalists were invited. Flying balloons and a festoon, Professor Dr. Saleh Hasan Naqib, the Vice Chancellor of Rajshahi University inaugurated the celebration at 9:00 AM. To mark the day, the officers and staff of the station and the invited guests, with great enthusiasm, brought out a colorful procession from the station’s premises and paraded through several city streets with banners and festoons.
A colorful procession was brought out to mark the day
Then a discussion program was held. Prof. Dr. Saleh Hassan Naqib, Vice Chancellor of Rajshahi University and Prof. Dr. Khandker Md. Faisal Alam, Principal of Rajshahi Medical College, addressed the discussion as the chief and special guests respectively, while Kishore Ranjon Mallick, Regional Director of Bangladesh Betar, Rajshahi, presided over the event. In his speech, the chief guest said, ‘‘In this country, the primary role of radio is to give a voice to those who lack access to mainstream media and opportunities to express their views on community development.’’
In his remarks, Kishore Ranjon Mallick stated, ‘‘One of radio’s major functions is to promote the right to communication, expedite the dissemination of information, assist the free flow of news, and act as a catalyst for change.’’ He urged the Betar authority to broadcast high-quality, people-centric programs to ensure that the target audience benefits fully.
Special guest Prof. Dr. Khandker Md. Faisal Alam (2nd from the right), Chief guest VC Prof. Dr. Saleh Hassan Naqib (3rd from the right) and President of the event Regional Director Kishore Ranjon Mallick (3rd from the left)
The discussion was followed by a mind-blowing cultural program. Recitation, songs from different genres and Gomvira [a traditional Bengali folk-art form in local language that combines song, dance, and rhythm] were performed in the cultural program.
Artists Performing
